Rotator



J. S. ECKERT Oct. 12, 1965 ROTATOR Filed April 23, 1963 FIG. I

INVEN R. JOHN s. ECK T ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,211,480 ROTATOR John S. Eekert, Silver Lake, Ohio, assignor to The United Sae; Stoneware Co., Talirnadge, Ohio, a corporation 0 [0 Filed Apr. 23, 1963, Ser. No. 275,025 3 Claims. (Cl. 287-53) This invention relates to means for rotating any one of various types of containers such as cans, blenders, mill jars, etc., about a drive shaft. It includes driving means and a holder which is either temporarily or permanently attached to the container. The holder will be described as permanently attached to the equipment, although it will be readily appreciated that it may include a band to be tightened around the piece of equipment or other means for temporary attachment thereto.

The driving means includes a magnet on a projecting drive shaft, spaced from the free end of the shaft. The holder includes magnetizable tubular means adapted to be slid over this free end of the shaft Where it is held by the magnet. Means is provided to drive the tubular means by the drive shaft, as by keying it to the shaft. Means is provided for breaking the force of the magnet in the driving means so that the holders can readily be removed from the drive shaft.

The magnet employed is preferably a ceramic highfiux-density magnet. It is fastened to the drive shaft and rotates with it. The tubular magnetizable member of the holder is slid over the end of the drive shaft so that its end contacts the magnet and is held to it during the rotation of the device. This tubular member is preferably formed of steel, but may be of nonmagnetizable composition with a magnet incorporated in its end. To insure rotaton of the holder, it is temporarily keyed to the shaft.

After completion of any desired rotation of the holder and container, the pull of the magnet on the tubular member is broken by suitable means which may be mechanical or magnetic, etc. Such means may be incorporated in the holder or mounted on the means which supports the drive shaft.

The invention is further described in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of the holder on the drive shaft;

FIGURE 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a section on the line 33 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is a detail showing the drive shaft and magnet, and magnetic means for counteracting the effect of the magnet.

The driving means includes the drive shaft 5. The collar 6 is held onto the drive shaft by the setscrew 7. The ceramic high-fiux-density magnet 8 is screwed to the collar by one or more screws 9, or the magnet may be cemented to the collar.

The container 12 may be a can which is to be rotated for any desired purpose, such as a blender, a mill jar, etc. The steel tube 13 which is attracted by the magnet 8 is shown as welded to the side wall of the container 12. The container 12 and tubular member 13 may be attached to one another by any suitable means which may be designed to be readily separated, if desired. The block 16 serves as a key to cooperate with the flattened surface 17 of the drive shaft to provide positive rotation of the tubular member 13 and the container 12.

3,211,480 Patented Oct. 12, 1965 A possible difiiculty with using such a ceramic magnet or other strong magnet as illustrated, is the difficulty of separating the tubular member from the magnet after the operation has been completed. This is readily solved by any one of a number of means. FIGURE 1 shows the lever 20 pivoted at 21 in the tubular member 13. When the operation has been completed movement of the lever 20 to the rght brings its lower end against the end of the drive shaft 5 so that the tubular member 13 is readily separated from the magnet 8.

Alternatively, the magnet 8, may be shrouded in a frame 30 (FIGURE 4) to which the electrical magnet 31 is fastened. This frame is attached either to the shaft or the non-rotatable means which supports the shaft. When it is desired to separate the tubular member 13 from the drive shaft 5, a current is supplied to the magnet 31 which sets up a magnetic field opposite to that created by the magnet 8, and then the tubular member is easily separated from the magnet 8. The time that the current flows through the magnet 31 is minimized to the short period during which the tubular member is separated from the magnet.

Although the device is designed particularly for the use of a ceramic high-flux-density magnet, other strong magnetic means may be used. The magnet may be attached to the drive shaft in any desired manner. Although the drive shaft is illustrated as projecting horizontally, it may project downward or in any other direction. Any means for keying the tubular member 13 to the drive shaft may be employed.

The invention is covered in the claims which follow.

What I claim is:

1. Driving means for rotation of a container, which includes a drive shaft with one free end, a collar magnet having at least one radial face rigidly attached to and encircling the shaft at a location spaced from said end, a tubular driven member made of ferrous, magnetizable metal, one end of said driven member shaped to engage said radial face of said magnet to be held thereby against axial movement, said drive shaft being telescoped into said driven member, radially inwardly directed key means rigidly mounted in said driven member, said free end of said drive shaft being shaped to engage said key means to impart drive torque thereto and to said driven member.

2. The combination of claim 1 with means for breaking the magnetic traction of the magnet for the driven member.

3. The combination of claim 1 in which the drive shaft is horizontal, the container is cylindrical, and the driven member extends axially from the bottom of the container.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 24,066 10/55 Brown. 2,030,188 2/36 Smith. 2,437,871 3/48 Wood. 2,550,775 3/51 Clark. 2,638,366 5/53 Heidegger 28 753 2,828,131 3/58 Appleby. 2,929,477 3/ 60 Rodriguez et al. 2,987,924 6/61 Karrels 317-159 X 3,009,225 11/61 Budreck 317159 X 3,146,381 8/64 Moreau 317159 X CARL W. TOMLIN, Primary Examiner.

Patent No. 3,211,480 October 12, 1965 John S. Eckert It is hereby certified that error appears in th ent requiring correction and that the said Letters corrected below.

e above numbered pat Patent should read as Column 2, line 47, for "traction" Signed and sealed this 3rd day of May 1966.

(SEAL) kuest:

ERNEST W. SWIDER EDWARD J. BRENNER Lttesting Officer Commissioner of Patents read attraction 

1. DRIVING MEANS FOR ROTATION OF A CONTAINER, WHICH INCLUDES A DRIVE SHAFT WITH ONE FREE END, A COLLAR MAGNET HAVING AT LEAST ONE RADIAL FACE RIGIDLY ATTACHED TO AND ENCIRCLING THE SHAFT AT A LOCATION SPACED FROM SAID END, A TUBULAR DRIVEN MEMBER MADE OF FERROUS, MAGNETIZABLE METAL, ONE END OF SAID DRIVEN MEMBER SHAPED TO ENGAGE SAID RADIAL FACE OF SAID MAGNET TO BE HELD THEREBY AGAINST AXIAL MOVEMENT, SAID DRIVE SHAFT BEING TELESCOPED INTO SAID DRIVEN MEMBER, RADIALLY INWARDLY DIRECTED KEY MEANS 